Stencil-carrier for button-stenciling machines.



No. 705,085. Patented July 22. I902.

J. nonmsv.

STENCIL CARRIER FDR BUTTON STENCILING MACHINES.

(Applicatiop filed. Apr. 17, 19021) (No Model.) Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented July 22, I902.

v J. HORMBY.

STENCIL CARRIER. FOB BUTTON STENCILING MACHINES.

(Application; al a Apr. 17, 1902.\

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

THE uomus PETERS co, PHOTO-LITHU. wnsnmsmmp. c.

No. 705,085. Patented July 22, I902.

J. HURMBY.

STENGl-L CARRIER FOR BUTTDN STENCILING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr. 17, 1902.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Shae! 3.

Wilfmmaeo' n-az "cams PETERS cc. PHOTOLITHO,WASHINGTON, D. c.

No. 705,085. Patented July 22, I902.

J. HDRMBY.

STENCIL CARRIER FDR BUTTON STENGILING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr. 17, 1902.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' FIG. 4.

WI messes attoznma' m: Nonms PETERS co, PHQTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. u.

Patented July 22, I902;

J. HORMBY.

STENCIL CARRIER FOB BUTTON STENCILING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr.\17, 1902,

6 Sheets Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

wimwwo ma NORRIS PETERS 60.. PnoTo-umd. WASHIN'QTON,

Patented July 22, I902.

J. HURMBY. I

STENCIL'GARRIER FOR BUTTON STENOILING MACHINES.

('Apflication filed Apr. 17, 1902.)

6 Sheets-Sheet 6.

(No Modal.)

,m: Noam PETERS co., mow-uma, wuumsnm, o c.

UNITED STATES "PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN HORMBY, OF VVOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

STENCIL-CARRIER FOR BUTTON-STENCILING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,085, dated July 22, 1902.

Application filed April 1'7, 1902. Serial No. 103,415. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HORMBY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Woonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stencil-Carriers for Button-Stenciling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the painting or coloring of buttons by means of pigments or colors applied thereto by means of stencils.

Of even date herewith I have executed an application, Serial N 0. 103,414, for a patent for the general arrangement and combination of parts of a machine for applying colors or pigments to buttons by means of stencils, upon the frame and general motive mechanism of which many varieties and arrangements of specific mechanisms for executing the subsidiary functions might be used.

It is the object of this invention to provide improved mechanism for manipulating the stencils and buttons and cleansing the stenoils, and while the devices and combinations of devices herein described and claimed are adapted for use upon and with the general mechanism described and claimed in my application aforesaid the present mechanisms and combinations are equally well adapted for use for such machines in general, it being only necessary that the general mechanisms act in substantially the same manner.

With the before-mentioned object in view my presentinvention, generally speaking,consists in the improved combination, arrangement, and construction of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed.

My invention, further and more specifically speaking, may be said to consist in the improved construction and arrangement of the stencil and carrier and their operative mechanism comprising the trip, guide, and cleanser.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illussectional view on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. at looking toward the left, as indicated of stencils and a button stenciled'in a combination design thereby. Fig. 9 is a view in elevation of one of the stencil-carrier guides and trippers. Fig. 10 is a view of the means for dropping the stencils in the carriers into a cleansing-bath. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the air-chamber of the spraying mechanism. Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the means for oscillating the pigment carrier or reservoir, and Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the sprayer and pigment-reservoir.

Like reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, A indicates the frame of the machine, which may be made of any appropriate form and any desired material to properly support the various operating parts, cast-iron being usually the preferred material for such structures. In this frame are suitable vertical bearings for four principal shafts a, b, c, and at, each of which has a suitable ball stepbearin g, as shown especially in Fig. 2. These shafts are geared together in a manner to cause them to move in unison, preferably by means of gear-wheels a, b, c, and d, although other suitable means to this end might be used.

B indicates the horizontal main shaft,driven to rotate continuously from any suitable source of power-as, for instance, a belt leading from a driven shaft to a belt-pulley B, Fig. l--said shaft B having suitably secured upon it a cam O, by means of which a pawllever D, pivoted at one end, as at D, to the frame of the machine and providedwith a roller at its opposite end bearing upon said cam is caused to oscillate on its pivot, the roller being held yieldingly in contact with the face of the cam by a spring D secured to the frame. Pivoted to the lever D is a pawl D which engages a ratchet-wheel D on the shaf t a, and during the oscillation of lever D imparts an intermittent rotation to said shaft a and through the medium of gearwheels a b c d to the shafts b, c, and d also.

a b and d indicate similar notched disks secured, respectively, to the shafts a, b, c, and d, a b 0 and d being'locking-levers pivoted on eccentric studs adj ustably mounted in the frame and carrying rollers a, b, c, and 61, adapted to engage in the lockingnotches of said disks and normally but yieldingly held against the disks by springs a b 0 01 said springs connecting the free ends of said levers to a bar E, passing freely through a swiveled block 79 upon the free end of lever b and pivotally connected at its end to the pawl-lever D. The eccentric pivots of the levers permit of their exact adjustment with relation to the notches in the disks.

F indicates an elbow-handle lever pivoted to the frame, suitably held and limited in its movement by a spring-latch F and pins F F, secured in the frame. This lever F has pivoted to one of its arms a rod F which passes loosely through a block F swiveled in the pawl D said block being between springs F on said rod, whereby the pawl is yieldingly held on the rod'and may be engaged with or disengaged from the ratchetwheel D whereby the intermittent rotation of the shafts a, b, c, and d may be controlled by manipulating the hand-lever F without stopping the main shaftB of the machine. By the means described the shafts a, b, c, and d are given an intermittent rotation, and the momentum is minimized by a friction-strap G, encircling a brake-wheel G on the shaft a l and secured to a'bracket G on the frame.

H indicates the button-carrier, in the form of a disk of sheet metal, secured by screws or otherwise upon a hub H, mounted upon the shaft a above the upper plate A of the frame A. The disk is provided near its periphery with regularly-spaced button seats or openings, as at H, slotted out to the periphery, and that portion of the disk which contains these button-seats rests upon a brass ring 1', resting upon an annular flange or rest I, rising from plate A, (see Fig. 2,) said ring and annular rest being omitted in part immediately underneath a point, as at k in Fig. 1, to permit the buttons to automatically drop out of their seats after they have been colored into any suitable chute or other receptacle.

J, K, and L indicate the hubs of the stencilcarriers, secured, respectively, upon shafts b, c, and d and provided with radial peripheral openings, regularly spaced and in number and position corresponding with the button-seats in the button-carrier. Into each of these radial openings is secured a plug, as at J K L, in the outer end of each'of which is pivoted on a horizontal pin an arm, as at J K L and best shown in Figs. 2, 6, and 7. To each of said arms is secured, as by a screw "6 a spring i which is seated in a groove in the bottom of the arm, as at K Fig. 7. A thin sheet-metal arm, which extends beyond the end of the arm to which it is attached and ends in circular or disk forms, as at K K L each such disk being a holder of a stencilplate of much thinner metal soldered thereto, as at J K L, Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the holder being centrally cut away to expose the stencilplate, said thin sheet-metal arm being provided with an opening to fit over a pin i and is slipped into position in the groove in arm K and held therein by spring i in a manner to permit of its ready removal when desired to change it for a holder for stencil-plates for difierent sizes of buttons, the several stencil-plates being slotted or cut to form a suitable single design or combination design, according as one or more sets are used, it being understood that there may be only one or any number of stencil-carriers and that the design may be colored on the button by the use of a single carrier or any series of carriers, the number of series depending upon the combination design to be made. These stencilcarriers are so placed with relation to the button-carrier that in their intermittent rotation with their shafts a holder of each stencil-carrier when at rest will be immediately above a button-seat (see Figs. 1 and 2) and below a pigment supply, as hereinafter described. As the stencil-holders rotate they rest upon suitably-arranged bars, as atj, k, and Z, during the whole of their rotatory movement, these bars being curved downward and again upward for a portion of their extent, beginning at the points where the holders move off the button-carrier to permit the holders to drop by gravity into and pass through suitable cleaning solutions contained in tanksj k Z. After the holders are lifted out of the solutions they pass along over these bars k I, (see Figs. 1 and 9,) which hold them well above thelevelof the button-carrier untilthey reach their positions of rest over the button-seats, when they drop into notches, as atj Fig. 9, with the stencil very close above the button in the carrier. The notches 9' at their exit edges are beveled off, as at Fig. 9, and this assists the rise of the holders out of the notches; but the raising is principally effected by pins, as at Z Fig. 7, in arms J K U, which at this moment pass over rollers j, journaled in the upper ends of fixed pillars K Figs. 2 and 9. After the holders are raised out of the baths they pass over hot-air sprays or jets, as at 70 in Fig. 10, and are quickly dried, these jets being supplied with hot air under pressure from any suitable source through pipes j k Z The bath is boiling when the stencil passes through.

Loosely journaled on shaft aabove the but ton-carrier is the carrier M, for as many reservoirs of liquid pigment or color as there are series of stencil-holders, one of such reservoirs being indicated at M, Fig. 13, and said reservoirs being removably held in clamps ma 0 of the carrierM by suitable clamp-screws, Fig. 1. These pigment-reser voirs do not rotate with the button-carriers and stencil-carriers; but each reservoir contains a pigment orother liquid for use with a particular series of stencils and is maintained practically in position over the button when covered by a stencil of that series. It is desirable, however, that the pigmentreservoirs shall not be over the buttons when the stencils are in position thereon, and provision is made for oscillating the pigmentcarrier slightly forward when the stencils are taking their working positions and back again to pass the reservoirs over the stencils while in such position by mechanism now to be described.

P, Figs. 1, 4:, and 12, indicates a vertical rock shaft suitably journaled in the frame of the machine and having a radial arm P, consisting of two parts hinged together for facilitating a change of button-carriers, secured at its upper end and provided with a slot 1?, embracing a pin P secured to the pigment-carrier. At its lower end the shaft P carries another radial arm 9, Figs. 4 and 12, which is provided at its outer end with a pivoted latch 17', actuated by a spring 13 to normally throw its outer end downward into position to cause it to engage over a catch block 13 secured on the under side of pawllever 1). When the pawl-lever is actuating the several carriers, as before described, it carries the latch 12 and arm p with it and rocks the shaft 19 a short distance forward, thus causing arm P to move the pigmentcarrier in the same direction and carry each pigment-reservoir a slight distance beyond its stencil and button. When the button is seated, the latch 19 comes in contact with a pin 19, secured to the frame, which disengages the latch from catch-block p and permits a spring 19* to draw arm 12 back, thus giving a reverse movement to the pigment-carrier and carrying the pigment-reservoirs back over the stencils resting on the buttons. It is during this reverse movement that pigmentis sprayed through the stencil-plates, it being desirable that the first matter sprayed should not strike the button, but that the spray be allowed to work slightly, so as to properly atomize the material before reaching its position directly over the button. This reverse movement is governed by a piston in an air-cylinder Q, the piston-rod Q being pivoted to arm 99, the cylinder being secured to the frame to slightly oscillate, and having an adjustable air-escape valve Q The latch 19 may be released by moving handle-lever F when desired, a rod q, pivoted to the handlelever and held by a spring (1 against a pin g being properly placed for this purpose. NVhen the pigment-reservoirs are passing, during their reverse movements, over the stencils and buttons, a charge of pigment is sprayed upon and through the openings of each stencil and upon its button, as before described, by a current of air which is allowed to escape so as to be inoperative at all other times. The mechanism for this purpose is best shown in Figs. 3, 11, and 13, in which R indicates an air-chamber into which air is forced by pipe R from any suitable source of air under pressure. R is a normally closed spring escape-valve, R the plug thereof, which carries a roller R at its outer end. A flexible pipe S leads from the air-chamber to pipe of each of the pigment-reservoirs, as M, Fig. 13, and as long as valve R is closed a current of air is caused to pass into the reservoir and a spray of pigment to issue from nozzle T, which in working position is passing over the stencil in position on the button. U, Fig. 3, indicates a circular cam-disk on shaft 0, having as many raising-cams u as there are button-seats. The air-chamber R is supported, as by a bracket V, immediately over this cam-disk, and when the nozzle T is in position, passingback over the stencil at rest upon a button, the roller R is in a notch between two raisingcams Lb, the valve is closed, and pigment is sprayed from the nozzle. At all other times the roller rests on one of the raising-cams and the valve is open, thus permitting the air to escape from the chamber and cutting off the spray from the nozzle.

All of the parts of the machine are timed to cause the different operations to be performed at the proper times, so that a button fed into the carrier either by hand or by any suitable feeding mechanism will be consecutively stenciled by one stencil of each series, so that, for instance, as shown in Fig. 8, it will be colored in stripes crossing it in one direction, then with stripes of the same or a different color crossing it at angles to those first made, and when desired first striped in another direction with shellac or other varnish by another stencil, finally appearing as shown at W in said figure.

As before stated, a single stencil or any number of series of stencils maybe used, and by simply changing the stencil-plates in the carriers, any desired design or combination of designs may be stenciled upon the button and different button-carriers used for differcut-sized buttons.

By the operation of the described mechan ism a stencil of every series used is simultaneously in working position over one of the series of buttons in the carrier, and as many buttons are .stenciled with one pattern as there are series of stencils used, the spraying from the Whole number of pigment-reservoirs being simultaneously done, the stencil resting slightly off the buttons to prevent blurring of previous coloring. After each use of a stencil it is automatically cleaned before it comes into use again, thus keeping the stencils clean and assuring clean-cut work without clogging or gumming the mechanism. After a button. is finished and after a stencil is cleansed any suitable means might be used to dry either or both it thought desirable or necessary.

Having thus fully described my invention, what .I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a button-stenciling machine, a stencil-carrier comprising a hub and radial arms or stencil-holders hinged thereto in combination with a button-carrier and a guide-bar for supporting the outer ends of the stencilholders above the button-carrier.

2. In a button-stenciling machine, a stencil-carrier comprising a hub and radial arms or stencil-holders hinged thereto in combination with a button-carrier having buttonseats, means for moving the carriers in unison to bring a stencil in a holder above'a button in a seat in the carrier, and a guide-bar for supporting the holder above the buttoncarrier until the holder reaches a position above the button in the seat.

3. In a button-stenciling machine, a stencil-carrier comprising a hub and radial arms or stencil-holders hinged thereto in combination with a button-carrier having buttonseats, means for moving the carriers in unison to bring a stencil in a holder above a button in a seat in the carrier, and a guide-bar for supporting the holder above the buttoncarrier until the holder reaches a position above the button in the seat, said guide-bar being provided with a notch into which the stencil-holder drops .when that position is reached.

4. In a button-stenciling machine, a stenoil-carrier comprising a hub, and radial arms voaoes or stencil-holders hinged thereto in combina tion with a button-carrier having buttonseats, means for moving the carriers in unison to bring a stencil in a holder above a button in a seat in the carrier, and a guide-bar for supporting the holder above the buttoncarrier until the holder reaches a position above the button in the seat, said guide-bar being provided with a notch into which the stencil-holder drops when that position is reached, and means for raising the holder out of the notch at the end of its resting period. 5. In a button-stenciling machine, a stencil-carrier comprising a hub and radial arms or stencil-holders hinged thereto in combination with means for rotating the carrier, a guide-bar for supporting the holders during such rotation, said guide-bar being depressed for part of its extent, and a tank for containing liquid through which the stencil-holders travel while passing over the depressed portion of the guide-bar.

6. In a button-stenciling machine a stencil-carrier comprising a hub having radial openings in its periphery, plugs secured in said openings and stencil-holders consisting of metal plates pivoted on horizontal pins in the outer ends of the plugs, said plates being enlarged at their'outer ends to support the stencils.

Witness my hand, this 31st day of March, 1902, in the presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

JOHN HORMBY.

Witnesses:

EDWIN J. PERRI, J r., RALPH F. BUNKER. 

